Neha Sharma: Acting Doesn't Help, Box Office Does

Neha Sharma talks about her first co-star Ram Charan, the tech-savvy Sunny Deol, and why box office performance is more important than looks and talent...

Neha Sharma, 23, may have done fashion designing and is an actor today, but in many ways she still remains a small town girl from Bhagalpur. While she took a break from Telugu films after her first film Chirutha with Ram Charan, she would love to do a Telugu film today, as she enjoys the dancing, travelling and money that comes with it. Ahead of her upcoming film Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 with the Deols, she talks to TOI about her first co-star Ram Charan, the tech-savvy Sunny Deol and why box office performance is more important than looks and talent. Excerpts:

How did you get into films?I was born and brought up in Bhagalpur. My dad is a businessman who owns petrol pumps there. I moved to Delhi in Class XI and studied at Carmel Covent School, after which I did my fashion designing from NIFT where I was a rank holder. Right from my childhood, I wanted to be a fashion designer and was obsessed with Armani and Versace and simply loved clothes. I was fit and tall and was used as a model by my seniors to showcase their clothes to the jury for judging them. I did my internship at Canada and was offered a job at Coach, but thankfully I didn't do it. I used to go to this gym in GK II where my gym instructor Maria would always tell me to get my photoshoot done. I got that done and was called to Hyderabad based on my pictures to meet Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi's son, for his launch film Chirutha. My director told me that a part of the film would be shot in New Zealand and Vikram Phadnis would design the clothes. It sounded like a paid holiday and even though I was just in my fourth year, I said yes to it.

There were rumours of you dating Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan. Were you dating him?He was like starry and was not talkative at all in the beginning. My director told me he was shy and I guess it is protocol in Telugu cinema where you can't be over-friendly if you are the son of a superstar like Chiranjeevi. So, they try and keep that cold and reserved facade. The lives of star-kids are quite guarded and they are super careful of how they conduct themselves, as there is a lot riding on them. Mr Chiranjeevi was on the set for quite sometime. As I got to know Charan, I realised he was quite chilled out and nice and was a great dancer. He was the first guy I was working with and we were like two kids working together. He may have flirted a bit, but basically we became friends by the end of the film. While we are still in touch, when you are working in different industries, it's too much to expect your friendship to stay alive.

Being from a business family from Bhagalpur, were your parents comfortable with the idea of you being an actor?As a kid, I was severely asthmatic and was always unwell and weak physically. So, I became the favourite, pampered child amongst four siblings. My connection with Hyderabad began way before I did my film there. There is a family in Hyderabad who are blessed and can cure you of your asthma. You have to go to them for three years where they put a live fish in your mouth and you need to swallow it. I got completely cured and I am a believer. The asthma had gone, but the pampering remained. So they let me do whatever I wanted, be it fashion designing or films.